Developing pugilist Jakub Vrana got into his first career NHL fight last Wednesday night against Tampa Bay’s Yanni Gourde. Vrana was riled up after seeing his countryman Michal Kempny get roughed up by Cedric Paquette, which resulted in a longterm injury to Kempny.
Vrana absorbed one particularly violent uppercut to the face, which opened up a cut on his nose.
At Saturday’s practice, we got a look at his war wounds.
Vrana’s visor was bloodied in the aftermath of the fight.
Gourde also managed to break the chain of the cross necklace that Vrana wears. Evgeny Kuznetsov found the necklace on the ice and brought it over to the penalty box.
Vrana’s necklace can be seen in the video of his Stanley Cup Day when he kissed the cross at his grandmother’s grave.
Vrana’s broken chain did not go unnoticed by this fan, who held up a sign on Saturday offering to replace it for him.
But it appears Vrana has already managed to find a replacement chain, this time in silver.
Here are some of my other photos from Saturday’s practice. It was Dmitrij Jaskin’s birthday and he got a pat on the head from John Carlson as the team wished him happy birthday at the start of practice. TJ Oshie shot a puck so hard it broke a water bottle and then he jokingly drank from the broken bottle. Carl Hagelin practiced after missing Friday’s game with an illness, but he drank out of a specially-labeled water bottle to prevent his germs from infecting more teammates (like Kuznetsov.)
Photos
Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong
